Two Azerbaijani Soldiers Released with the Mediation of Russian Peacekeepers

Two soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been released through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers. They were arrested by the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia on January 30, 2021, in the territory of Tegh village in the Syunik region. This information was reported by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

It was also noted that on January 30, 2021, at the request of the Azerbaijani side, a medical unit (special purpose) of the Russian peacekeeping contingent evacuated 16 sick Azerbaijani soldiers from the village of Vank and handed them over to Azerbaijani doctors.

Efforts to coordinate the prevention of possible incidents within the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are maintained through continuous cooperation with the General Staffs of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

It should be recalled that on November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a joint statement regarding the cessation of hostilities. According to the trilateral statement, the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation, consisting of 1,960 personnel, armed with small arms, 90 armored vehicles, and 380 units of automotive and special equipment, have been deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor. Concurrently with the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Armenian armed forces are being withdrawn.

The Russian peacekeeping contingent is deployed for a period of five years, with automatic extension for another five years unless one of the parties declares its intention to terminate this provision six months before the expiration of the term.